Give me ten minutes on Twitter and I can find a dozen more examples… but today’s example involves my friend Bubba TheRealAD.

Full Disclosure… UNCCH Athletics Director – Bubba Cunningham – IS a friend of mine. So is The N&O’s “ThatDamn” Dan Kane.

Of the 300,000,000 legal residents of The US of A, I bet I am THE ONLY one who can make that statement and pass a polygraph while doing so.

This past week Raleigh’s financially imperiled media shop launched two new salvos at Ye Olde Flagship. The Greeks laid siege to Troy for ten years. By my count, The N&O’s siege of UNCCH has another 4-5 years still to go to be “legendary”..

Salvo #1 involves UNCCH’s deal with Nike. Specifically how much $$$ Ol’ Roy and Larry “…to be competitive” Fedora personally rake in from the Nike deal. IMO, the only reason this matters is that UNC CH administrators refuse to divulge that information. Both guys certainly rake in A LOT of $$$ in the deal. So do the Head FB and Head MBB coaches at every major college Nike had deals with.

NOTE: Salvo #1 was launched by The N&O’s Ned “DUI” Barnett. I have no respect for him whatsoever which has nothing to do with “the Nike Deal”.

Other major colleges with sports apparel deals with Nike, Adidas, Under Armour et al might launder the $$$ in different ways but A CHUNK of it always goes to the Head FB and Head MBB coaches.

If it’s a million each, so what? If one despises all things UNCCH, one is going to cry “FOUL” regardless because that’s how the “hated rival game” works.

So… why won’t UNC Admins simply say what it is and we can move on to Salvo #2… What is the street value of “a Bubba?

My guess as to why UNCCH won’t cooperate is that UNC Admins are a bunch of stumblebum elitist pricks who are still pissed that The N&O (and my friend Dan Kane) dared to expose their long-running Greatest Athletic Eligibility Scam in NCAA History. HARUMMPH…

Yes, UNCCH slithered out of TGU by employing much smarter lawyers than The NCAA has; but those aforementioned 300,000,000 legal USA residents still know “UNCCH cheated”. That reality has left a permanent bitter taste in the mouths of UNCCH.

Another Full Disclosure… As institutional entities, I have zero respect for both UNCCH and for The News & Observer. There are a handful of individuals within both entities that I consider “friends” but I wish a pox on both organizations. I could care less which one wins in these ongoing pissing contests. Mutually assured destruction would be my choice of an outcome.

Let’s move on to Salvo #2…

A month or so ago, UNCCH announced it was raising Bubba’s salary from around $750,000 to about $1,000,000/year… subject to approval by The UNC Board of Governors (BOG). That “approval” as well as the approval of The N&O is in limbo. The N&O’s approval is NOT required, of course.

In question is What is the going rate for an experienced Power Five AD?

More Full Disclosure… The UNC BOG ranks with “The Klan” and Black Lives Matter as organizational entities that A LOT of folks have a very negative opinion of… justifiably so.

The UNC BOG was totally controlled by Democrat Fat Cats for 30+ years, and it was a punchline joke. Over the past 8-10 years it has been pretty much totally controlled by Republican Fat Cats, but is still “a joke”. When it was led (?) by John “Trainwreck” Fennebresque it was really “a joke”.

The BOG appointed “that Bush Woman” as its president several years ago which pissed off every fire-breathing liberal lunatic from Murphy To Manteo. Alas, “that Bush Woman” has not made any inroads whatsoever in improving the image of the organization… which has pissed off all the Repub/Conservatives that bother to pay attention to what it does.

That said… I also have several “friends” on The BOG. One being the delightfully infamous Marty Kotis. Marty is “that guy” that keeps every BOG vote from being unanimous. Marty, bless his heart, questions EVERYTHING… which has earned him a reputation among his BOG peers who have early tee times at Old Chatham Golf Club. Give’em hell Marty.

Another BOG member is Tom Fetzer. Tom is a former Mayor of Raleigh and a mover/shaker in NC Republican circles. I don’t like Tom Fetzer or Tom’s Wake Forest classmate Richard Burr. Never have…lets leave it at that.

I mention Marty and Tom because both are mentioned in The N&O’s latest salvo at UNCCH about “What is the street value of “a Bubba”?

From what I know… based on comparables… Bubba IS worth $1,000,000/ year when compared to the Top 25 ADs in Power Five Land. In the past 18 months. Bubba has turned down AD gigs at both Florida and Tennessee. Both of those gigs offered in excess of $1,000,000. Apparently Bubba values intangibles beyond simply a paycheck. Maybe the collard greens at Mama Dips?

Amid all the CHAOS that has enveloped UNCCH (that Bubba inherited from his predecessor “Call me Dickie”), Bubba has somehow managed to keep the trains running on time.

He has the organizational and staff management skill sets of a first-rate CEO. Is that worth 1/32 of the cost of a ridiculous Indoor Practice Facility? Absolutely! Bubba may be THE ONLY UNC Administrator “with a lick of sense”.

MORE MORE Full Disclosure… The N&O LINK references UNC BOT Chairman Haywood Cochrane…. Yep, I know Haywood Cochrane too. He and his twin brother – Luther – “walked on” Bill Dooley’s FB team “back in the day”. One of’em was a Morehead back when that meant something. The other was a National Merit scholar or some such.

Both “The Cochranes” were very impressive young men. Haywood was a DB. Luther was an LB… as I recall. Both have been quite successful post-college doing financial stuff that was probably legal. If Haywood was not “successful” and not have donated A LOT of $$$ to UNCCH, he would not be on The BOT.

I have not reconnected with either Cochrane in recent years. I give Haywood the benefit of the doubt that he has more personal integrity and common sense that most “Trustees” at most liberal arts institutions. Granted, that bar is set rather low.

I appreciate that many readers of this website have been programmed from birth to HATE whoever holds any prominent position in UNCCH’s athletics. Rule #1 in the “hated rival” handbook. I certainly have negative opinions of several past and present UNC athletic notables. Bubba is not on “that list”. Does our friendship effect my opinion? Sure it does.

I do not know what role Bubba played in UNCCH “slithering” out of The Great Unpleasantness. I assume he was involved at the highest level. It was his job to do so. Like a defense attorney… one defends one’s client to the best of one’s ability.

FWIW… I also consider The Butcher’s Attorney as a personal friend. And, of course, there is Ol’ Bre’r Kennel.

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DAMN… assuming my funeral is not on a rainy day, and all my friends (1) outlive me and (2) bother to show up; THAT is going to be one very eclectic assemblage of humanity… PLUS… I have 1-2 VERY notorious BFFs I never mention… who I still won’t mention.

I can imagine The GrandTwins – Ruthie & Scout – at whatever age they are on that fateful day, perusing the graveside crowd and exclaiming…

“Granddaddy always said this would be like the cantina scene in Stars Wars. He was right. We’re one giraffe short of a freakin’ circus…”.

Blondie, Kid and Pastor Danny will roll their eyes and smile… as Charon The Boatman ferries me across The River Styx.

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NOTE: This commentary was posted BEFORE the UNC v NCSU game at PNC. Whatever that outcome I am sure numerous lives were permanently affected. …sigh.

So glad my dad never witnessed any of TGU. He graduated from UNC in 52, loved Choo Choo and the University. This is not our Dad’s UNC.But he would be proud of Luke May. That young man has started my favorability opinion pendulum back for UNC.

Must be a slow week in the investigative Dept of the former n&o. With asst fb coaches making $2m, I’m honestly shocked that an AD at a power 5 school, which probably runs in the black, makes less than 7 figures.

“The N&O’s siege of UNCCH has another 4-5 years still to go to be “legendary”.. What are the odds the N&O being owned by McClatchy in 4-5 years? I don’t know Mr Kane. Tell your friend to go bark up the other, far more interesting tree.

Mr Kane is on the right scent on shoe deals but way off the right track. The track IS shoe company (Nike, Adidas, UA) virtually untraceable payment deals with youth Reps – AAU coaches paying cash to players/families – starting as early as 14 for the special ones. A overly simple line of attack: Shoe company sees a kid play with special talent and pays coach, who pays a guardian or parent, who pays kid. It starts and continues from middle-high school. The rep’s top players whose job is (for example purposes Nike has paid) to make sure that Nike kids can only sign with Nike schools. The payment currently is as high as $250K for one-and-done level players, McDonald’s All-Americans, etc. To paraphrase an ex- D-1 MBB coach I know well: Every P-5 school and every P-5 top player that commits to every NCAA institution is involved to some degree without exception. If a Nike school wants an Adidas kid. TOUGH. That is unless the family/kid goes rogue and double-dips, and it does happen. The shoe companies, AAU teams, parents, schools, reps, can’t…won’t blow the whistle on the kid for obvious reasons. Trying to unravel the mystery of the Mafia or ISSIS would likely be simpler but hey, go for it.

WOW…that was a whole lot of readin’ and understandin’….First, according to UNC’s Joel Berry, UNC is NOT our rival…it is beneath them as DUKE is the ONLY one. I guess that he just said that about teams that you beat. Coach KK sent him a box of chocolates….with RED centers. SO, I don’t get to invoke one of the cardinal rules….thou MUST trash and hate thy rival. BUT, this IS UNC and I will pretend the rule exists.As to Bubba’s salary….I think that the Ram’s Club should set up a fund for Bubba. They have funds for the Hat and ORW. Why not tap into the vast and growing net worth’s that the Fat Cat’s have. Bubba would benefit by the TRUMP SURGE in their net worth. WHAT….a loyal UNC person would probably SELL any TRUMP gain and donate it to BLM, Remove SS, Rev Bully and a thousand other worthy causes. Anyone see and news stories about FC Alumni from UNC selling their ill gotten gain and donating it to charity? OK….so Bubba COULD get a raise from Trump….even though ORW won’t go to the WH.As to the other mess…..UNC USED to list ALL of Butch’s and ORW’s income. It was broken down by the Base, Rams Club, Shoes (uniforms), Broadcasting and Incentives. I guess that when the numbers got so large that the Average WM Fan can’t understand…..then forget that.You seem to be waxing more nostalgic these days. Having Ruthie and Scout will do that to you. All of a sudden, your time frame DOES have a “closing date”. I don’t know who will show up for my final passage….but I do know what I want on my marker….”I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE”. I guess I will have to add an asterick (*) and add the copyrighted phrase that Bill Medley used. BUT, it works for me….Time for the ho-hum NON RIVAL game to begin. Outta here….

I’m pretty sure that “not our rival” issue goes way back to Woollen Gym and “The Red Peril”. MgGuire and Case probably dreamed it up. If KK goes 2-0 over ORW it will discombobulate quite a few tru-blues for sure.

Charon the Boatman, the reason why a coin (or coins) are always placed under the mast of a building ship. This has been your random trivia for the weekend. BTW, typing with a jammed middle finger is a bear. Have a fine weekend.